


A Companion For Life

by TheFlyingWriter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (aang will too... OOPS im sad again), First Meetings, Flashbacks, Gen, I guess?? lol, Open to Interpretation, Retelling, Unreliable Narrator, and i will love appa until the day i die, as in... like.. pov, i dont know how to tag my fics, i just expanded on it a little more than the flashback gave us, i just love them and 2x16 got me depressed again, i kept it vague on purpose :), kind of, the concept of an animal guide is so sweet, they are connected bro. i dont make the rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24917887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFlyingWriter/pseuds/TheFlyingWriter
Summary: "Choose well," she says, and he watches the group of creatures as they approach.
Relationships: Aang & Appa (Avatar)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 49





	A Companion For Life

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, friends and neighbors! :)
> 
> Along with all the other amazing people in the world, I decided to rewatch ATLA during quarantine (with my family this time)! It's been a while since I've actually sat down and done that, so it's been really nice to see these beloved messages/characters/episodes in a new light, now that I'm older. And, as I expected, it's still the best show I've ever watched in my life! :D (If, for some reason, you're here and have never watched it, I 200% recommend it!!!)
> 
> Admittedly, my family watch-through hasn't //actually// made it to 2x16 yet, but I know it's coming and so I had to write this to cope ;__; Aang and Appa honestly own my HEART ????? And there's so little fic of them out there, it's blasphemous :'0 Sooooooo I wrote this! It's basically just the flashback scene, with some of my interpretation and flavor, lol :) Since it's so short, it didn't go through many drafts, but lmk if you see anything weird, since (as always) this isn't beta-read :P 
> 
> With that, I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you in a few hundred words or so! :)

_ Choose well, _ she says, and he watches the group of creatures as they approach. They’re smaller than the normal ones, of course, because these ones are children.

He glances back one last time, but she gestures him forward, so he begins to scan the small group for his match. How will he know which one is his?

_ A companion for life, _ she had said. A whole life sounds like a long time, but he isn’t really sure, since he’s only a child himself. Any of these seem to be a good match; how will he know which one is the right one? The one who will stay with him forever?

He notices one that’s by itself, and decides to make an attempt. But before he can reach it, someone else swoops in and claims their own lifelong companion. He suddenly worries that there’s not enough to go around; what if there’s too few of them on that side, and  _ he’s  _ the one who gets left all alone?

...Maybe his companion isn’t here at all. Maybe he’ll just have to go home, and come back another time to find them. It would be discouraging, sure, but maybe that was just how it would have to be. He is about to give up hope when it happens -- he locks eyes with one of them.

Again, it appears unclaimed, but this time, it’s looking right at him. It blinks at him for a few moments, and then parts its lips slightly, revealing some of its teeth in what looks to be a smile. He approaches it slowly, trying not to scare it, and then -- after a sniff and a crunch -- the apple is gone.

He moves forward again, less worried this time, and nuzzles into the creature’s head while it does the same to him. In the next moment, they are on the ground.

“I guess this means we’ll always be together!” one of them says with a laugh, while the other chirps playfully in between licks.

This creature’s touch is so soft, gentle, and full of love. He decides that he has most certainly chosen well, and hopes with all of his heart that -- if this really is his companion for life -- his life will be a long one.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, friends and neighbors! Hope you didn't miss me too much ;)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story! Something that I really wanted to implement was an unreliable/vague narrator, because in a sense, you could read this from either Aang OR Appa's POV :) Considering that they are so connected (they were literally having the same memory/dream at the same time, BROOOO I CRY ;;A;;), I think it makes sense that they would remember the event the same way -- just reversed, hehe ;)
> 
> Plus, I think it makes sense that an Avatar's animal guide would be connected like that, y'know?? Considering that they presumably join them in the Spirit World after death (ie Fang and Roku), I'd like to think that they would have a similar soul/deeper connection than just "pet." In my mind, Aang and Appa are like two sides to the same coin; they are meant to be together forever :)
> 
> ...Hopefully that makes some semblance of sense, LMBO. I could go on and on about my thoughts on the importance and symbolism of Appa's character, but to save your eyes, I'll stop here haha :)
> 
> Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!! Bye for now <3


End file.
